English jockey Steve Drowne remains in hospital nursing injuries from his nasty fall from Jwala in the final stages of the Longines Hong Kong Sprint on Sunday, with his immediate plans, and an inquiry into the incident, up in the air.
Drowne suffered a fractured left collarbone and a punctured lung and has his neck in a brace as a result of the ugly crash inside the final 100m at Sha Tin, when Jwala clipped the heels of another runner and fell. She later died of her injuries while being attended to by the Jockey Club vets.
It was originally expected that he would undergo surgery yesterday, but the jockey changed his plan, wanting to return home as soon as possible and have the surgery there rather than convalesce in Hong Kong.
“It was his first intention to fly back to England on Monday night, so I tried to organise our inquiry Monday afternoon,” said chief steward Kim Kelly.
“However, Steve subsequently had medical advice that he should not only not fly with his injuries, but that he should remain in hospital for now. I’m not sure what he will do in the coming days or where that leaves the stewards, but, obviously, we will want his evidence at that inquiry.”
Meanwhile, Australian jockey Tommy Berry intends to appeal the severity of his suspension for failing to ride out Smart Man in the last race. Berry missed second by a nose and pleaded guilty to the charge, but the one-month ban keeps him out of racing in Australia for more than the 10 meetings it covers in Hong Kong.
